Walls of the World
- "...as the song of the lark that rises from the gates of night and pours its voice among the dying stars, seeing the sun behind the walls of the world..."
- ― Of Beren and Lúthien, The Silmarillion
The Walls of the World were the walls that surrounded Arda.[1] It is not clear what lay beyond them and what they separated.
Nienna's halls that were "west of West, upon the borders of the world", had windows that looked outward from the walls of the world.[2]
Morgoth was cast outside the Walls, through the Door of Night, to the Timeless Void, and ever since they are guarded.[3][4]
Other versions of the legendarium
- "They are as ice and glass and steel, being above all imagination of the Children of Earth cold, transparent, and hard. They cannot be seen, nor can they be passed, save by the Door of Night."
- ― Rúmil of Tirion, The Ambarkanta[5]:235
In earlier versions of the cosmology such as as the Ambarkanta, the Walls of the World were called the Ilurambar (Q, pron. [ˌiluˈrambar]) (q.v.) in Qenya and they bounded the layer of Vaiya.[6] Ilurambar derives from ilu- meaning "all, the universe"[7] and rambar (plural of ramba) meaning "walls".[8] Earlier it was called the Wall of Things.[9] The Walls were a shell that fence Vaiya and the world from emptiness and darkness of the Outer Void. The World and all its airs were globed inside of them. They were totally impervious and their only opening was the Door of Night which was guarded by Eärendil.[5]:237-238
Tolkien later changed the conception of Ilurambar to Eärambar (Q. Walls of Eä).[10]:62 Presumably, this means he conceived two sets of Walls, the first of which separated Arda from the wide space of Eä, while the other separated Eä itself from the Timeless Void.[10]:64
See also
References
- ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta: Account of the Valar and Maiar According to the Lore of the Eldar"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: [Section] 19", p. 164
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "V. The Ambarkanta: Of the Fashion of the World"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "IX. The Hiding of Valinor": "Notes and Commentary", pp. 226-227
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry "IL-"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry "RAMBÁ-"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "IX. The Hiding of Valinor", p. 214
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Two. The Annals of Aman: Commentary on the first section of the Annals of Aman"
